Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-09-01
JOYS OF COUNTRY LIFE.

81 think we had better go away for q
couple of weeks" observed Mr.. Bowse1
a few evenings since as we sat on the
steps.
"But why? Our house is nice and
of change"
s'Oh, we don't, Ell? That shows all
you know about it, If you had half an
eye you could see that baby is suffering
for change. You are looking like a
saffron-bag around your mouth, and
am just dragged out myself. We shall
go to the country"
"But our rooms are so cool, and we
can buy whatever we want to eat"
''Cool rooms! You wait until you
strike a country bedroom and you will
call this house a sweat-box! AS for
living-yum! yum! Think of cream,
fresh eggs. yellow butter. fresh berries,
old-fashioned biscuit, delicious coffee.
night breezes. new-mown hay, ripe
cherries, eft al. %
/ supposed we should have week at
least in which to get ready. but Mr..
Bowser only gave me day and half,
and he even begrudged half day OF
that He telegraphed to the landlord
of a country hotel on the banks of a
small lake, and the most I could do
was to tumble about a bushel of things
into trunk and tie on my bonnet. We
got out there by train. That is, we
got within six miles of the place. Mr..
Bowser had been in such a hurry that
he didn' ascertain particulars. 1t was
only after he had bargained with a
teamster to take us to the lake for
three dollars that he found that the lake
was not on the railroad. He looked a
little gloomy over it for a spell, but
finally showed me his nine-doHar fish
ing outfit, and after awhile forgot any
unpleasantness in viewing the country.
We saw farmer cutting wheat
We saw three crows.
We rode over three miles of causeway
and three of dust.
We saw as many as five barns.
We met barefooted boy.
We saw dead horse.
If we met or saw any thing else
fan't remember what it was. Mr..
Bowser drew in deep draughts of what
he called the elixir of life, and quoted
poetry about the plow-boy and the low
ing kline, but l guess he was glad when
the ride ended. The sun had burned
the back of his neck as red as fire, he
was all dust and dirt, and the cause
ways had tired him out. We found the
hotel very picturesque affair. 1t was
half log and half frame. 1 can't say
xrrha
Collins style, but it was probably one
OF the other. The landlord had given
us a room in the log part. He knew
that we sighed for the picturesque, and
he was willing we should have it. 1t
was room as much as eight feet long
and five feet wide. There were red
peppers and may weed and seed corn
and onions hanging to the rafters, and
= the great cracks in the floor were partly
hidden by rag carpet. There was a
cracked looking-glass of the Noah's
Ark period, bedstead (which had come
over on the Mayffower and, a rheumatic
old stand made in 1776 held 'up a tin
wash-dish and blue pitcher without a
handle. -
''Is this the ct al, Mr.. Bowser?" l
asked as 1 dropped into the only chair
with baby and looked around.
''Do you want the earth?" he roared
back. 'What do we come to the coun-
try for? Do we expect to find palaces
out hereP tell you, this is the most
picturesque, romantic spot I've seen in
twenty years. and L propose to put in
two months herep'
finally got baby to sleep, made my
toilet and then went out with Mr.. Bow
ser to view the neighborhood.
There was lake.
1t was almost forty. rods long, and
almost twenty rods wide.
There were a post-office and black
smith shop.
: There were two hay-stacks, ruined
saw-mhl and n lame horse.
That was all. and I returned to the
hotel while Mr.. Bowser went fishing,
We had supper at SIX o'clock. The
landlady rang three bells. The first
was to notify us that we could expect
supper; the second was that supper
was being prepared; the third that
supper was ready. Between the differ
emu DeIIS MI. DoWSeF plckeu the QUITS
off his pantaloons, rubbed some oint-
ment on his neck, and said to me:
1--WE all feel the change already.
haven't seen, you and baby look so well
In six months, while. / have the appe-
-tite of horse. I think we'll put in
three months here"
When we went in to supper we found
knives and forks without handles,
cracked plates and a table cloth with
seven holes literally and artistically
distributed throughout its length and
breadth. The tea might have been
sage, or it might have been catnip
The biscuits were yellow with salera-
,tus. The butter was white in the face